Firefighters battle blaze in Fond du Lac

FOND DU LAC - The risks of winter.  It began when a Fond du Lac homeowner set his house on fire, Friday afternoon, trying to melt ice around frozen gutter pipes and firefighters rushed to fight the flames in the bitter cold.

But it's not easy battling the blaze when the temperatures are so low.

You might think a house fire like this would be easier to fight now than in the dead of summer, but that's not the case.

"When it's cold like this you think it's not that stressful, but it's as, if not even more stressful," said Fond du Lac Fire Department Division Chief. 

Wendt told FOX 11 firefighters can succumb easily to extreme cold.  So about twice as many people are called to scenes on bitterly cold days so they can rotate in and out more often.

"Kept telling the guys to make sure they take some fluids in too, because when it's cold you really don't think about it, but you have to stay hydrated," explained Wendt.

And more city departments get involved to make sure everyone stays safe.

"Got a bus from the transit department, you got us from the public works department, then you got the firemen and police," explained Chase Krapfl with Fond du Lac Public Works.

The firefighters take turns in the bus, warming up and the street department keeps the sewer grates clear of snow and ice.

"Make sure the waters going into the sewers, keep everything salted for the firemen so they don't slip and fall," said Krapfl.

Wendt told us another concern is the hydrants.  He asks that people help keep them clear of snow like this one so firefighters can have easy access to them."

"We needed to get to hydrants right away.  Fortunately they were close, they were exposed," said Wendt, which helps the job go faster.

Wendt told us he hopes people learn a lesson from this fire too, it started because of the cold.  He said the homeowner was melting ice around frozen gutter pipes when the flames caught in the eaves.

"Any time you're going to be using a torch or anything else with an open flame, make sure you know what you're doing," said WEndt.

It took about an hour and a half for firefighters to get the flames under control.

No one was hurt in the fire.